gentile

[jen-tahyl] /ˈdʒɛn taɪl/
adjective, (sometimes initial capital letter)
1.
of or pertaining to any people not Jewish.
2.
Christian, as distinguished from Jewish.
3.
Mormon Church. not Mormon.
4.
heathen or pagan.
5.
(of a linguistic expression) expressing nationality or local origins.
6.
of or pertaining to a tribe, clan, people, nation, etc.
noun
7.
a person who is not Jewish, especially a Christian.
8.
(among Mormons) a person who is not a Mormon.
9.
a heathen or pagan.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin gentīlis, equivalent to gent-, stem of gēns gens + -īlis -ile
Related forms
nongentile, adjective, noun
pro-Gentile, adjective, noun
ungentile, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for gentile

gentile

/ˈdʒɛntaɪl/
adjective
1.
denoting an adjective or proper noun used to designate a place or the inhabitants of a place, as Spanish and Spaniard
2.
of or relating to a tribe or people
Word Origin
C14: from Late Latin gentīlis, from Latin: one belonging to the same tribe or family; see gens

Gentile1

/ˈdʒɛntaɪl/
noun
1.
a person who is not a Jew
2.
a Christian, as contrasted with a Jew
3.
a person who is not a member of one's own church: used esp by Mormons
4.
a heathen or pagan
adjective
5.
of or relating to a race or religion that is not Jewish
6.
Christian, as contrasted with Jewish
7.
not being a member of one's own church: used esp by Mormons
8.
pagan or heathen

Gentile2

/Italian dʒenˈtiːle/
noun
1.
Giovanni (dʒoˈvanni). 1875–1944, Italian Idealist philosopher and Fascist politician: minister of education (1922–24)
Word Origin and History for gentile
adj.

mid-13c., "noble, kind, gracious" (mid-12c. as a surname); late 14c., "of noble rank or birth, belonging to the gentry," from Late Latin gentilis "foreign, heathen, pagan," from Latin gentilis "person belonging to the same family, fellow countryman," from gentilis (adj.) "of the same family or clan," from gens (genitive gentis) "race, clan" (see gentle).

n.

late 14c., "chivalrous person; member of the nobility;" see gentile (adj.). Also used during 14c. to mean both "one who is not a Christian" and "one who is not a Jew." The Latin word was used in Vulgate to translate Greek ethnikos, from ta ethne "the nations," which translated Hebrew ha goyim "the (non-Jewish) nations."

gentile in Culture

Gentile definition


Someone who is not a Jew. “The nations” is the common expression in the Old Testament for non-Jews as a group, and a Gentile is a person belonging to “the nations.”

Note: Both the Old Testament and the New Testament tell of numerous conflicts between Jews and Gentiles. Figuratively, a “gentile” is any nonbeliever.